Re: English from the 1500's?

: : : : : I received this in an email. I am uncertain if it is true, but some of it sounds reasonable...

: : : : : The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water
: : : : : temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to
: : : : : be...Here are some facts about the 1500s:

: : : : : Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in
: : : : : May and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to
: : : : : smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor.

: : : : : Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house
: : : : : had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the sons and men, then
: : : : : the women and finally the children -- last of all the babies. By then the
: : : : : water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it--hence the saying,
: : : : : "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."

: : : : : Houses had thatched roofs -- thick straw, piled high, with no wood
: : : : : underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the
: : : : : dogs, cats and other small animals (mice rats, and bugs) lived in the roof.
: : : : : When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and
: : : : : fall
: : : : : off the roof--hence the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs."

: : : : : The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when
: : : : : wet, so they spread thresh on the floor to help keep their footing. As the
: : : : : winter wore on, they kept adding more thresh until when you opened the door
: : : : : it
: : : : : would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the
: : : : : entryway--hence, a "thresh hold."

: : : : : They cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the
: : : : : fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate
: : : : : mostly
: : : : : vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner,
: : : : : leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over
: : : : : the next day. Sometimes the stew had food in it that had been there for
: : : : : quite a while--hence the rhyme, "peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold,
: : : : : peas porridge in the pot nine days old."

: : : : : Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special.
: : : : : When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was
: : : : : a
: : : : : sign of wealth that a man "could bring home the bacon." They would cut off
: : : : : a
: : : : : little to share with guests and would all sit around an "chew the fat."

: : : : : Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with a high acid content
: : : : : caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning
: : : : : and death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400
: : : : : years
: : : : : or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous. Most people did not have pewter
: : : : : plates, but had trenchers, a piece of wood with the middle scooped out
: : : : : like a bowl. Often trenchers were made from stale paysan bread, which was
: : : : : so
: : : : : old
: : : : : and hard that they could use them for quite some time. Trenchers were never
: : : : : washed and a lot of times worms and mold got into the wood and old bread.
: : : : : After eating off wormy moldy trenchers, one would get, "trench mouth."

: : : : : Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination would
: : : : : sometimes knock them out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the
: : : : : road would
: : : : : take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the
: : : : : kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and
: : : : : eat and drink and wait and see if they would wakeup-hence the custom of
: : : : : holding a "wake."

: : : : : England is old and small and they started out running out of places to
: : : : : bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a
: : : : : "bone-house" and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, one out
: : : : : of every 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they
: : : : : realized they had been burying people alive. So they thought they would tie
: : : : : a
: : : : : string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up
: : : : : through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in
: : : : : the
: : : : : graveyard all night (the "graveyard shift") to listen for the bell; thus,
: : : : : someone could be "saved by the bell."

: : : :
: : : : I, for one, incline toward skepticism.

: : : : "England was old and small and they started running out of places to bury people." Well, England is even older now and presumably no larger. Are there any burial sites left?

: : : This old chestnut reappears from time to time. It's a mish-mash of truths, half-truths, fanciful inventions, and you-gotta-be-kidding fabrications.

: : Please explain to me how dogs can climb into a roof. If there wasn't any wood supporting the thatch roof, then wouldn't the acrobatic monkey-like dog fall through regardless of wetness? But, then again any dog capable of climbing into a roof could keep his holding until lubrication gets him out.

: A dog that somehow got trapped in the roof would stay there until rescued by a false-etymology hobbyist responding to his cry of "Roof! Roof!"